Bahrain in 2013

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Political unrest persisted in Bahrain in 2013. Shiʿites, who made up approximately two-thirds of the population, frequently descended into the streets to demand political and economic empowerment. The Sunni-dominated Bahraini government continued to crack down on the demonstrators, using harsh measures that included mass arrest, imprisonment, and torture. These acts were documented and condemned by international human rights organizations such as Amnesty International. Bahraini officials blamed the trouble on Shiʿite militants acting on behalf of foreign powers, mainly Iran.

Sitting beneath posters of political prisoners in Bahrain, antigovernment demonstrators in the …

Hamad I Mohammed—Reuters/Landov

The government continued its self-described efforts to reach a peaceful political solution through a dialogue process, which began in 2011 with the formation of a 27-member National Dialogue committee consisting of cabinet ministers, members of the parliament, Sunni religious leaders, and representatives of six Shiʿite opposition groups. By the end of 2013 the committee had met nearly 30 times, but little had been achieved beyond agreements on basic procedural issues.

Eager to diversify its economy beyond the hydrocarbon sector, Bahrain sought to promote itself as a tourist destination and a centre of international investment and offshore banking. These efforts were at times hampered by unrest, but the government scored a small victory in April when the country was able to hold the Bahrain Grand Prix, its annual Formula One auto race, in defiance of opposition protests for the second year in a row; in 2011 the race had to be canceled over security concerns posed by the unrest.